Of Zerg, Terrans, and Protoss
by Zanerith Cloud
Summary: The Brood War left the Koprulu Sector in an upheaval, with Kerrigan and the Zerg being the primary force. However she has not destroyed the Terrans or the Protoss. But her ambitions have not ceased . . .
1. Chapter 1: Of Hydralisks and Marines

Chapter 1

Of Hydralisks and Marines

A Zergling leapt through the air, barreling towards him and he reacted instinctively, whiping his Impaler around and firing the remaining ammo into the creature, causing it to fly back out the door in a hail of spikes. As Jake looked around in the aftermath, he noticed two things. First, that there were a lot of dead Zerg around him and second, there were even more living Zerg around him. He checked his Impaler already knowing that he was out of rounds, he'd used the last clip to take down the Zergling that had leapt through the door as well as the six Hydralisks in front of him, and tried to think of a way out of this mess. The room he was in was a ten foot square with one door in the north wall and a steel table in the center of the room that was flipped on it's side, facing the door. It was behind this steel table that Jake was crouched.

"Not that it's done me much good." Jake mumbled to himself. The table was riddled with holes caused by hydra spikes, the acid on them eating through it in seconds. _The only good thing about this stupid table is that they don't know exactly where I am._ Thought Jake as he reviewed his options. _Although it didn't stop them from just shooting blindly._ Jake soon came to the conclusion that he only had one option and that wasn't really an option at all. With only one way in and out of the room, it made for a great choke point and area to hold. However it was also a death trap if you couldn't kill everything that tried to get into the room. No retreat, and with the Zerg there was no surrender. Just as Jake was realizing he was deader than the 'lings and hydras around him, a creature came through the door that was unlike anything he had ever seen.

As Zhargath slithered down the hallway he pondered over the mission given to him by his Queen. _Why does mine Queen wish a human to be brought before her? What is it that this human possess that is so valuable?_ Zerglings and Hydralisks rushed by him as he was lost in thought, running to a door that seemed like a portal unto hell itself. Just as Zhargath came to the door a Zergling barreled into the room, only to come flying out missing the upper half of its body, followed by a hail of spikes. He commanded the Zerg forces to cease charging the room, their attacks seeming to be ineffectual. _This Terran is good._ Zhargath grudgingly admitted. _Perhaps it is time for me to meet him._ With that statement, Zhargath slithered into the room.

The creature that came though the doorway must have stood ten feet tall and had to weigh over a eight hundred pounds of pure muscle and carapace. It had two long arms that in ended in two and a half foot long, wickedly sharp scythes, a mouth that contained dozens of razor sharp teeth, and a chest that could fire dozens of foot long spikes covered in acid. It was a hydralisk.

But it was the biggest, meanest looking hydralisk that Jake had ever seen. It had slithered into the room, parting zerglings and hydralisks in its wake, and stopped just inside the room, waiting. _Crap,_ Jake thought_ I'm beyond screwed now._ He looked around to see what he had in the way of weapons, coming to the conclusion that it consisted of his fists, his flak pistol, and a combat knife. _To hell with it_. He thought,_ If I'm going down, then I'm going down fighting!_ Jake unholstered his pistol and grabbed his knife preparing to leap over the table, knowing that he would probably get skewered by either a spike or one of those wicked claws before he made it two feet.

_Hold Terran._ The thought intruded into his mind, leaving a slimy feeling. _I was sent here on a mission to claim you for the Swarm. The Queen had heard of you and wishes you to join the ranks of the Swarm as one of her generals._

"Really? I thought she just wanted my head on platter, judging by all the forces you threw at me." Jake sniped.

_You default to sarcasm because it helps you to control your fear. Intriguing but it has naught to do with my purpose here. The forces sent against you were to test your martial prowess as well as your resolve. In both of these things you have exceeded the Queen's expectations, hence the offer of immortality._ The creature's thought continued to intrude into Jake's mind, bringing with it scenes of glorious power and thousands of troops at his command.

_You would be second only to the Queen herself, along with the other generals. What say you Terran?_ Jake's mind wavered between accepting this amazing offer and continuing living, or going down in a blaze of glory and not accomplishing a damn thing.

"Alright buddy, you got yourself a deal."

Zhargath watched as the human was covered in creep so that he could be transported to the queen more effectively. The human had panicked as the creep began crawling up his legs, but once Zhargath directed it to cover his head, the Terran had stopped struggling.

_This human may be strong, but it is nowhere as strong as any of the Zerg._ Zhargath said to himself, _Perhaps the Queen wishes a companion? No, that would be folly to assume. The Queen of Blades is no longer human for she has become the ultimate ruler of the Zerg!_ Even though Zhargath's words were the sentiments of all the Zerg, he still harbored some doubts about her lack of humanity.

Zhargath wandered around the Hive cluster on Mar Sara, the world he had traveled light years to to get this frail human at his Queen's behest. He was lost in thought as he circled the cluster when a Zergling appeared next to him, chittering for his attention.

_What is it little one?_ As Zhargath spoke to the Zergling, he probed it's mind to find the reason for it's agitation. As soon as he entered the little 'ling's mind a flood of images were shown to him, all of a large Terran force heading directly toward the Hive. _All Zerg units not preparing the tranportation vessel, head to the entrance of the cluster immediatly!_ As he commanded the troops, Zhargath sent out an Overlord to spy on the Terran forces. _Foolish Terrans, you cannot defeat me! Let us see what pitiful forces you have brought to the slaughter._ As soon as the psionic thought left Zhargath's mind the Overlord came into view of the Terran forces. The amount of human's arrayed before Zhargath was innumerable it seemed. Hundreds of Marines, Firebats, and Medics, dozens of Seige Tanks, and one lone Battlecruiser that could spell the doom of the transportation ship that Zhargath was having formed directly behind him.

Zhargath shivered in both anticipation and fear at seeing the forces arrayed against him and began positioning his troops to cause the most damage.

Johnny marched forward with the rest of his platoon towards the Zerg menace, contemplating the upcoming battle. _Why does my platoon have to lead the charge?_ He thought plaintively, _I'm probably going to die today, glad I sent off that letter. At least my folks got to hear from me one last time._

"All company, halt!" The major yelled, coming to a stop at the top of a rise in the canyon path they were treading. The Zerg forces could be seen in the distance, a swarming mass of Zerglings, ready to pounce on the visors and chests of the Marines coming toward them.

"Siege Tanks! Forward!" The Siege Tanks rolled foward between the platoons of ground pounders, coming to a stop a few feet ahead of the forward line. "Siege Mode, activate!" The two legs on the side of every Siege Tank lowered to the ground and screwed in for maximum holding power. At the same time the twin 40mm cannons slide down into the top of the tank while the 120mm Arclite Siege Cannon folded into position. "Siege Tanks, aim!" The turrets of the tanks swiveled back and forth choosing optimal spots in the seething, roiling, mass of Zerglings. The turrets stopped moving and the shells loaded into the cannons with a resounding chorus of thunks.

"FIRE!"

Zhargath could feel the reverberations of the siege tank's cannon fire. He could see the arching shells through the Zergling's eyes. He could sense the coming destruction. . . . And he knew exactly how to win.

Johnny watched the shell's glorious flight through the air, the white trails flowing behind like a tail made of cloud. All of a sudden, seconds before impact, the Zergling hoard split in twain at every impact area. The shells collided with the ground causing fire and dirt to plume into the air, but there was a distinct lack of Zergling bodies. When the dust and debris cleared there were no Zerglings on the field, living or dead. The Terran forces let out a half-hearted cheer, thinking that perhaps they had forced a retreat out of the Zerg, but every veteran soldier there kept their weapons ready and stayed alert, they knew that the Zerg didn't retreat. To the Zerg there was no retreat, no surrender, and no mercy. After a few minutes, Johnny began to truly believe that the Zerg had retreated. At least until the first acid covered spine punched through his back and out his chest, protruding before his eyes. He had enough adrenaline to turn around to face the direction of the shot, only to catch three more spines in the stomach. As Johnny fell to his knees he looked at the canyon wall before him as a strange moment of clarity gripped him, giving him insight into the reason of his death. The Zerglings had been naught but a distraction allowing the unseen Hydralisk's enough time to gain the canyon walls surronding the Terran force. Johnny could see that the missing Zergling's, being faster than their Hydralisk kin, had quit the field under the cover of the shelling, only to follow their kin to the canyon walls. The last thing that Johnny saw was a particularly large Zergling soar through the air towards him, claws outstreched and mouth agape, spittle flying from it's mouth in a furious snarl.

Zhargath could feel teeth ripping into flesh, claws slicing steel and bone, and the satisfying feeling of delivering death to an inferior race. He shut his mind from the glorious battle, turning it to the task at hand. _Ah, the transport is finally ready._ He thought, _But is the cargo?_ Zhargath slithered over to a large oblong object that pulsated every few seconds, as if it had a beating heart. The chyrasalis, for that is what the object was, had a shiny, carapace-like outer layer that was harder than steel and stronger than stone. Zhargath admired the creation in front of him as he pondered the unique situation. _The Queen will be most pleased. I will have brought back what she desired and destroyed a large Terran force right before departure._ He chuckled as he thought this, relishing in the slaughter of the puny Terrans. At that moment Zhargath could hear, feel, and see the Battlecruiser come crashing down from the combined firepower of his Hydralisks. Realizing that the Terran force was finished, Zhargath commanded his brood to return. _Come my children! We must take our prize and depart from this miserable planet!_ With this order, Zhargath directed two Drones to carry the prized chrysalis into the transport and he moved to follow. As his brood of Zerglings, Hydralisks, and Drones piled into the giant transport, Zhargath stopped at the entrance to the transport and looked back upon the planet he was leaving behind. The sun had just begun to set behind the nearby mountains, painting the sky in reds and oranges, and Zhargath was captivated by the beauty of the sunset, stunned by it's magnificience. For a split second, time seemed to become frozen and he didn't think about killing Terrans or serving his queen, but about the amazing beauty that that sunset held. Then the moment passed, time resumed and Zhargath turned away, shaking his head at the obsurdity of his musings. He moved into the transport as the last of his brood entered, the giant living door closing behind him.

Ok, so this if my first fanfiction that I've ever published but that doesn't mean that I want anyone to hold back. Give me the lowdown and let me know what I need to improve on. Hope everyone enjoyed the first chapter!


	2. Chapter 2: Of Ghosts and Dark Templar

Hello Folks! Chapter 2 is here! A little bit longer on this chapter (3k vs. 2k words), some new characters, and even some action! Please R&R and I hope that everyone enjoys the story!

Sam enhanced the zoom on her goggles, bringing the target into better focus. She lined her C10 up with the target and rested her finger on the trigger, taking a deep breath as she prepared to fire. As she exhaled, Sam slowly squeezed the trigger until the rifle fired, kicking out a foot long flame from the muzzle and hurtling the round towards the target. The stuffed Hydralisk dummy exploded as the round impacted, throwing bits of stuffing everywhere and leaving behind a mangled heap of canvas.

"Guess you **could **use some practice, eh youngin?" Sam looked over her shoulder to see a grizzled old Ghost veteran standing behind her.

"At least my skills aren't as rusty as yours old man." She replied, standing up from her prone position. "I may need work but you need an exoskeleton just to move."

"I get it, I get it. I'm old, so sue me. But I've got far more experience than you." The veteran replied. "And doesn't one normally show respect for their elders and betters."

"Elder you may be, but better has yet to be determined." Sam responded with a smile. "Come on Tom, lets go get some chow." Sam headed towards the mess hall, Tom right behind her. They kept up their bickering, Tom making vaguely sexist remarks and reminding Sam that she's the rookie while Sam brings Tom's mental faculties into question as well as his age. They continued all the way to the mess tent, pausing long enough to get food, and sat at a table in one of the corners. The other troops gave a wide berth to the two psionic soldiers and they preferred it that way, it allowed them to eat in peace while they continued their conversation.

"Girlie, I was infiltrating high security compounds when you were still in diapers." Tom said, taking a bite of his food.

Sam snorted, "Well, old man, just because you were able to then doesn't mean you can now. In fact I'll bet you couldn't even sneak past the Marines on guard duty."

Tom raised an eyebrow in incredulity. "Now that's just insulting." A gleam came into Tom's eyes as he lit upon an idea. "But if you're in a betting mood, how does one week of cleaning my gear sound if I win and vice verse if I lose?"

"You're on."

Tom smiled as he crept past the first set of bunkers. _Too easy, we really need some Missile Turrets between the bunkers,_ he thought as he was moving to the outer ring of the base defenses. As Tom got to the outermost set of bunkers he slowed down, to barely more than a crawl, not wanting the Marines to catch sight of any shimmering. As soon as he was ten feet outside the outer defenses, Tom reached into a pouch on his belt and removed a small yellow flag on a six inch stick. He plunged the flag into the ground and began sneaking back. As he passed the outer most ring of bunkers he saw an SCV begin building a missile turret between the defense lines. _I must be psychic,_ Tom thought. He couldn't help a loud snort at the irony of that thought, but realized his mistake too late. The Marine just climbing out of the bunker in front of him, hearing the sound, whipped his Impaler up and scanned for any shimmers of reflected light. Tom didn't dare move or else he'd be caught and be reprimanded at best, at worst he could even be shot. Though the Dominion was the primary force in the Koprulu sector now, Confederate forces still existed and they even had a few Ghost's on the payroll still, meaning that the Marine's on duty were likely to shoot first and ask questions later. Luckily for Tom the Marines still in the bunker got impatient and shoved the wary one out of the way. Tom waited as they filed off for their downtime and the new Marines climbed into the bunker, not wanting to get caught or shot at this point. After the new batch of Marines settled in, he crept past the bunkers and then ran the rest of the way to the mess tent, causing more than one person to double take and shake their head, blaming it on the heat. Tom plopped down in his seat and turned off his cloaking field, smug satisfaction written on his face.

"There you go youngin," Tom said with a smirk. "I still got it." Tom cocked his thumb over his shoulder, aiming it in the general direction of the flag.

Sam saw the flag and sighed. "Alright old man, you win. But since you almost got caught, it should be six days instead of seven."

Tom thought about it for a minute, but decided to relent. "Alright six days." he said, a warm smile on his face. He continued smiling until the psi blade pressed against his throat.

Andrus pressed the psi-blade against the elderly human's neck, ashamed of himself for having to use such shameful tactics. _**This is pathetic of me. A Dark Templar warrior having to capture a human just to leave this foul planet.**_ Andrus shook himself out of his musings and shifted his weight, wincing as his right leg twinged with pain, a long gash in his thigh. _**Humans, I am in need of your assistance.**_ Andrus thought at the two psionic soldiers. He looked at the female, cold anger and mistrust in her eyes, then at the elderly male. He was completely calm, not a trace of nervousness to be found.

_Son,_ the Terran thought, _this isn't my first rodeo you know. If you think you can scare me with this then you're sadly __mistaken. Killing me would do you no good and perhaps I can help you escape, since that seems to be what you're after. Now, deactivate your blade and we'll talk, all nice and friendly like._

Andrus thought for a moment and realized that the human was right, if he killed this man now he stood no chance of getting out of there. Andrus deactivated his psi-blade and crouched next to the human looking in his eyes. There was nothing in this man's eyes. It was like staring into the inky, blackness of space, a void of nothingness. This man had shut off his emotions entirely.

_Now,_ the Terran thought, _you want out of here and I would like to live a while longer, so let's make a deal shall we? We'll help you hide until we can find a way to get you out of here and you don't go on a killing spree in the base, sound good?_

Andrus thought for a moment and realized that the human was giving him an amazing chance, but it seemed almost cowardly on the human's part. _**You are an experienced warrior human. Why would you shy from the face of death?**_ The Terran grimaced, anger and fear lighting up his eyes for a moment before being shut away once again.

_It's not for my benefit._ The Terran replied, _It's for hers. She's like the daughter I always wanted but could never have and the last thing I want to see is her skewered by that blade of yours._ _Do we have a deal or not?_

_**Yes, we have a deal.**_

Sam watched the exchange, unable to listen in on the conversation, worrying the whole time about Tom. Whenever danger was around he turned into a different man, the lovable, joking old man turned into a cold killing machine, entirely emotionless. It always bothered her when that happened, seeing her friend revert to the Ghost training so easily, almost erasing his personality. Suddenly the tension at the table diminished and Tom looked away from the shimmer next to him and towards Sam.

_Sam,_ Tom thought to her,_ we're going to help him._ Sam couldn't help the look of incredulity that passed over her face, not quite believing that Tom would relent to an alien who had until a few moments ago been threatening his life.

_Why would we do something like that Tom?_ She asked, wondering what had gotten into him.

_For once girl just do as I say!_ Sam recoiled from the abruptness in that thought, truly worried for him now. _Alright Tom._ She turned towards the alien, addressing him. _I'm watching you. Tom may be willing to trust you but I don't._ With that thought she stalked off, trusting Tom to fill her in later on how they were going to help the mysterious alien.

_**I have a feeling that that woman does not like me.**_ The Dark Templar thought to Tom with a mental chuckle, following his gaze toward the retreating woman.

_Well, can't blame her._ Tom thought back to him, _You were just threatening her only friend._

The Dark Templar looked at Tom, one brow raised in a very human expression of disbelief. _**Hmm, I believe introductions are in order. I am Andrus, Son of Xinthos, leader of my people's expeditionary fleet in this sector of space.**_

_Ghost unit 239, Lieutenant Thomas Jones._ Tom replied. _I'd shake your hand but I think that would be a little suspicious._

_**I agree, suspicion is best avoided.**_ Tom could feel it as Andrus' mind swept over the Terrans, trying to ascertain any indication of his cover being blown. _**Thomas, I believe that haste is in order. The less time I am within this camp the less chance I have of causing trouble for you and Samantha.**_

_Yeah, I'm with ya there. The best way for you to get out of here is by Wraith._ Tom mentally pointed towards the Starport. _I could convince the commander to send me on a scouting mission, have you hop in the back seat and we'd be off. Drop you off at your nearest outpost and be back before supper._ Tom saw the shimmering presence next to him shift uncomfortably.

_**I sense but one problem with this plan. There are no Protoss forces within six stars of here. My force was wiped out by the Zerg naught but a few hours ago.**_

Tom almost leapt to his feet in shock and concern. _There are Zerg, here? Why didn't you mention this sooner? We've been scanning for them for months and haven't detected a thing._

_**My forces wiped them out completely. There was nothing left of their base or their forces, however neither was there anything left of our forces. Only me, a wounded commander without a force to command.**_

_If you were the only survivor, how can you be sure that your people got every last Drone and Overlord? Every last Hatchery? How do you know that they haven't set up an expansion base somewhere!_ Tom jumped to his feet and started sprinting towards the Command Center. _I have to tell the commander that there may still be Zerg on the planet._

_**How will you explain this newfound knowledge to him?**_ Andrus thought to Tom, however it fell on deaf ears as Tom's thought process was currently taken up with the information chain and preparations for battle.

_First tell the commander, then tell Sam, then to get battle ready. I'll make up some bullshit story for the commander. Won't matter anyway once he hears the word Zerg._ At that moment Tom heard the report of Impalers and the crackling of the Perdition Flame Throwers flaming. He whipped around to the front lines in time to see the smoking bunkers collapse in on themselves and then the crashing wave of Zerglings and Hydralisks that had overrun them come barreling towards him.

Sam stalked into her cramped room in the Barracks, slamming the thin metal door behind her in her ire. _Why is Tom listening to that Protoss?_ She fumed, not sure why she was mad exactly and becoming all the angrier for it. _First he shows __up and threatens Tom and then he wants to cut a deal!_ She kicked the small dresser hard, pushing it flush against the wall and leaving a bootmark in the pressboard and veneer surface. She screamed in frustration, both physically and mentally, causing passing Marines to look at her door curiously and slink away, not wanting to agitate the psionic soldier with their mere presence. Sam collapsed on her bed, exhausted, and she realized why she was mad. She had been afraid for Tom. Afraid that the alien persecutor might take away the only friend and father figure, she could admit it now, that she had ever had. The more she thought about it though the less afraid and angry she became, realizing that if the Dark Templar had wanted to he could have killed Tom in a second and would have probably killed half the base before he was taken down. Herself included.

_SAM!_ The psionic scream echoed in her head, snapping her out of her self revelation. _Get to the Starport there isn't much time! I'll explain once you get there._ Sam didn't know why Tom wanted her to go to the Starport until she realized that the alarms were going off. "Zerg? I better grab my gear." Sam grabbed her C-10 canister rifle, four clips of ammo, a few lockdown rounds just in case, and her cloaking suit. After she was geared up Sam ran out of the Barracks and straight into Hell.

The Zerg had overtaken the bunkers and were advancing toward the Barracks where she was now standing, the Marines running towards the Command Center and Starport firing behind them. Sam searched for Overlords and finding none, turned on her cloaking and began sprinting towards the Starport picking off Hydralisks along the way. Suddenly a tree trunk leg slammed into the ground in front of her and she had to skid to a halt. The first tree trunk was followed by three more and all of them moving fast in the direction of the Starport. It was then that she realized the tree trunks were Ultralisk legs and that the behemoth was headed straight for her destination. Sam loaded a fresh clip of canister rounds into her rifle and bolted after the deadly, living war machine, intent on stopping its rampage. She gathered psionic energy into her legs and used it to jump five, ten, fifteen, twenty feet onto the back of the Ultralisk. The Ultralisk, feeling nothing through it's thick carapace, kept charging, oblivious to the one hundred and ten pounds of deadly Ghost on it's back. Sam ran up the Ultralisk's back until she was directly behind it's head, steadying herself using the residual energy in her feet and legs. She aimed the rifle at the back of the beast's head, just between it's chitinous plates, and fired off all twenty rounds of the clip at point blank range. The Ultralisk, having now noticed the interloper, roared in pain as the rounds pierced the soft flesh beneath the hard shell, chipping through it's skull and gouging out chunks of it's brain. Unfortunately for Sam this wasn't enough to stop the twelve ton behemoth but it was enough to change it's course, directly into the line of fire of a Siege Tank, also unfortunate for Sam. As the gigantic creature plowed into the dirt Sam leaped off and rolled for her life.

As she came to a stop, Sam began checking her body for injuries automatically, making the assessment that besides a few bruises, a cracked rib, and a broken personnel cloaking device, she was essentially uninjured. She was also only a few dozen yards from the Starport and the hastily constructed bunkers. The only problem with this is that the Zerg were only a few dozen yards more away and moving in that direction.

Sam was running as fast as her medically and psionically enhanced legs could carry her, using her psionic abilities to block out the pain of a cracked rib that threatened to fully break with every running step she took. She was only a few yards away from the bunkers and had to run at a crouch to avoid the Impaler spikes and the Hydralisk spines that were hurtling across the battlefield, inches above her head. Sam took a diving roll, wound up behind the bunker line and was up and running again before the Firebats ignited their Perdition Flamethrowers and roasted the first wave of Zerglings to a blackened crisp.

Sam slowed down as she neared the Starport, having to hold her side in pain as most of her energy was used up in the final sprint and roll past the bunkers. As she walked up to the entrance Tom appeared and wrapped her in a massive hug, tears at the corners of his eyes.

"Thank the Gods you're all right girl!" He said, almost sobbing. "The old gods, the new gods, and the dead gods."

"To-Tom" Sam choked, "C-cracked rib . . . Pain . . . St-stop squeezing . . ." Tom immediately let go and began checking her for injuries adding a forearm gash, a cracked right radius, and a possible mild concussion to Sam's earlier list of injuries.

"You have to learn to take care of yourself better youngin'." Tom said, as he led her towards a grounded Wraith. "Get in girl." Sam looked at Tom in confusion, wondering what he was doing. Tom lifted her up and placed her in the pilots seat of the Wraith, punching some buttons on the dash. "You and Andrus will be far away from this planet soon ma dear. You can't fight even if you wanted too so I don't want to hear any arguments." Andrus leaped into the back seat of the Wraith, covered in Zerg blood, not uttering a single thought.

"I don't care about that!" Sam yelled, "What about you Tom? How are you getting out?"

"I wouldn't worry about that little one. I'll be fine. I've got a lot more experience than you, remember?" Tom smiled as the cockpit closed, Sam hollering at him the whole time.

"You bastard! How can you leave me alone! I can't have two fathers leave me! Damn you Tom! Damn you . . ." Sam broke down sobbing as the Wraith maneuvered into orbit. During a turn she watched as the Zerg finished destroying the bunkers, with Tom firing away with his canister rifle the whole time. She watched as he ran out of bullets and began channeling raw psionic energy into bursts of lightning, shredding Zerg like wet tissue paper. She even watched as he gained the high ground by climbing the Command Center, seeming like he might escape. Then a Hydralisk spine pierced his shoulder and he fell. He fell off of the back of the Command Center. And Sam screamed and cried with grief.


End file.
